AGATHA'S POV

Load painful yells came from the basement of the mansion. Even with its thickness, whoever was in that horrible pain must have been really suffering.

   'Even with this...pain, you're...mine' Harry's groan filled my head. He sounded wasted, weak and hurting.

  "Grandpa?" I gasped suddenly running out of the lounge and into the hallway.
   The basement door was hidden behind a shelf of books in the library. The stairs, concrete and rough like the walls. And these torches, seemed to never go off.

      "SORRY! AAAH!"
A bitter apology boomed in there. Then came the whipping sounds before I could locate which cell they were coming from.

  My eyes widened at the horror.

The old man was whipping the blood out of the male tied up at the pole. It wasn't just a rubber whip, that thing was steel. And from the bloody lines all over his naked torso, Grandpa had beaten Harry mercilessly.

   Whip!
   Whip!
   Whip!

More stiffed yells that shot as inhumane groans.
  Then his eyes were on me, like he had forgotten the pain, or the blood covering his back, chest, shoulders, abdomen.

     "Never again will you touch my-" Whip!
"-granddaughter, without-" Whip!
   "-her permission!"

"Grandpa?" I yelled dashing in the cage

He'd kill him from all the whips.
  "Get back to your room Agatha. I told you I'll teach him a le-"
"That's enough. I'm sure he's learnt something." Said stopping before  the male. His lower lip was bleeding from two deep holes. Harry had bitten himself, maybe from all the torture.

  He deserved that.

"You good?" Asked wearing an evil grin.
     He glared at me, before it dissolved into a thick smile.
"Never felt better. Just been punished for you, my lady."

  "Take this Agatha. Let him feel your smite." Athaga said handing over the sliver whip.

  Up close, I saw the spikes lined all over the weapon. Those sharp things must have been behind tearing Harry's skin.
      I took it, wound the soft end around my hand then looked up to his eyes. They were laughing and mocking me.

  "Can you really whip me, Agatha?"
   "What makes you think I can't?"

He chuckled and spat blood on my T-shirt. "You're just a little Kittie that thinks Will is any good than the rest of us."

    I turned around, as if walking out, before I spun and dropped the thunder across Harry's chest.

He bit down a deep groan to a roar. Shut his eyes to absorb the pain.
  Somebody clapped from the left side. "Indeed, you're my true descendant. No mercy for creatures that disrespect our authority. Doesn't matter if its him, or, anyone else in the family."

     I gazed at him shocked.

So he'd have done that to any of the family members?
  Grandpa placed a hand on my shoulder. Gently squeezed it.
"Of course. If anyone dares go against me, or you, I won't take it lightly."
      
Well that was 'encouraging', picturing aunt Becka in Harry's shoes.
   I shrugged off that thought and left the dungeon like there were ghosts after me.
*                   *                  *

    Sitting at the dining table, everyone but me, looked like death. Oh, right, they had all come back from the death realm. Including the white-haired male sitting at the head chair with a bright rare grin.
 
He eyed the ghostly faces appearing so lifeless. They were so white, oddly pale.
      "Harry?" He yelled. And the doors burst open to the flashing frame blurring in.

He stopped beside Grandpa with an odd glass bottle containing a red liquid.
   "Took you so long to get it!"
The old man spat glaring at the young male.

  "I bumped into a Nataline. But I took care of him."
"Good." Grandpa breathed. "One cup, one drop."
   Harry nodded, before walking round the large table pouring a drop of the red substance in each cup of blood for the new undead.

   Being around them frightened the heart out of me. And the rusty smell of blood was even worse than their hungry gazes all over me.

      "Now drink!" An order came.
They grabbed their cups and drained all of it. In the middle, flashing fangs before licking their lips.
    In a second, color started surfacing. Their skins returned normal, or not so normal.

Grandpa rose with a commanding aura buzzing around him. His contented grin widened.
   "From tomorrow, Black Hills will feel us." Roared raising his wine. We all picked our flutes, toasted to his words. Though I wasn't really happy. Felt as if a war was being declared upon my hometown.

  *                  *                *
         Black Hills High.

It felt different being back in school... Rumor had it that it was an enemy of my family that had had me kidnapped. Was rescued, blah, blah, blah...

    Only two more semesters to graduation. And I'd forget about all these students. I'd start all over, in college. Or so I hoped if the old man would let me.

      Walking towards my locker, a hand pulled me inside the counsellor's office. Then pushed against the door shutting.

  I froze halfway my breathing.
A large part of me was terrified seeing the male holding me, but the quiet voice inside was more than happy. It had been weeks since I last saw him.

    "Will?" I whispered breathless and started to hug him. But upon seeing the three motionless figures standing behind him, all actions ceased.
   My hero stepped aside, giving room for the older girl.
        "Finally, we meet again. After all these centuries, I get to face my sworn enemy, Agatha, cruise," she said with such criticism.

My heartbeats were busy pounding in my ears like an angry mob.
   "What, what do you mean? What do you want from-"
"The crying gem. Hand it over to us and we'll leave your family in peace."

    I huffed.
"Go tell that to Grandpa!"

A firm hand gripped my chin.

    "You have such guts to show up here without anyone to protect-"
"Who said I don't?"
Immediately, a shadow jumped in through the open windows. He wasn't my family, was among undead that had been in hiding.
      After Grandpa's awakening, the underworld had also came out of hiding.

  And that vicious bastard standing there, had been Grandpa's own creation.
     
    Fear was suddenly imprinted on their faces as they backed, looking ready to attack him.
But he'd rip them to pieces. I had seen Conner fight six of the rebelling undead when Grandpa had gone to the territory to reclaim his throne.

   "So this what it's come to?"
Will asked coming closer.

  There was bitterness, hatred in his eyes.
      I breathed gathering my inner strength... He had abandoned me like the rest of them.

"You also picked a side Will. But one that will lead you to your death."
   He chuckled running a hand down his face.

"Will she-" "Let me talk to her!" The angry male bellowed at the female that had been demanding the gem.

"Are you happy with where all this will end up? People will die for chrissake!"
My shoulders shrugged. "Which people? All I've ever seen were monsters that made my life unbearable. Including yourself."

   Will inhaled calmly, then cupped my face.

Conner's muscles tightened. But I gave him an it's-okay look.

  "You don't have to do this."
My eyes wandered in his black pair. Seeking for something I was not sure of.

      "No Will. I'm not doing anything. Your people caused this upon themselves."
   I rose on my toes, brushed my lips on his. "You wounded me in an entirely different way William," whispered on his cheek.
      With that, I turned around, and walked out.

Hours vanished faster than I could keep up. Without knowing how the day had spent off so quickly, it was gym class. The last lesson of the day.

    Fate had to make it worse when another class was combined with ours due to the absence of their teacher...Will's class.

My eyes shot to the students walking in. I recognised a few, but my concentration was on, William. He appeared even taller in that gray sports vest and black shorts.
  I could see girls ogling at him, as well as the other large boys from their class.
     
      The cocky female. She also showed up. But this time, alone.

"Gather around people!" The teacher shouted clapping for attention.
   Everyone, but me hurried to the front.

"I need you in groups of three. And do mix, will you... Fast!"
      I waited, nobody was minding that I stood there without a group. Well, I didn't either.

  "Miss Cruise? Why are you...I can see one incomplete group there."
    I followed where he was pointing. Saw the two awkward students gawking at me.
Just as I was about to walk to them, a hand pulled me to the left.

Eyes, including mine, were darted at the black-haired male.
  What on earth was Will doing?

"You said we should mix, right? And we're all from the same class." Will pointed out calmly.

   "Yes. Yes."